Frugal Foodie Friday - Glazed Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These meatballs were originally featured as an appetizer in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Over time, at least in my kitchen, they have morphed into a main course that works really well for a family dinner, especially when there are children at the table. The meatballs are glazed with a sauce that is both sweet and hot. The sweetness comes from a reduction of apple juice and brown sugar, while the heat, which you can regulate, comes from a sparing use of cayenne pepper. While this dish is inexpensive to prepare, the ingredients needed to make it were too costly for it to be included in our SNAP challenge menus. It is, nonetheless, a bargain meal, so I wanted to include it as a Frugal Friday feature. We are well past the stage where apple juice is stocked in our fridge, but because I use it in my cooking, I do keep juice concentrate in the freezer and measure out the quantity I need to reconstitute for the recipe at hand. It helps control costs and waste and assures I'll always have the juice when I need it. The meatballs are wonderful and should the sweet glaze not be to your liking, they lend themselves to a variety of other sauces. You can have this dish on the table in 30 minutes. I serve it with rice or noodles and a small green salad. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how the Sweet and Spicy Meatballs are made.

Glazed Sweet and Spicy Meatballs...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 slices white or whole-wheat bread, torn
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Apple Glaze
1 cup apple juice or pear nectar
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 green onions, chopped

Directions:
1) For Spicy Meatballs: Whisk egg and milk together in a large bowl. Add bread. Let stand 10 minutes, just until bread is softened. Add beef, garlic, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly with hands or wooden spoon. Shape beef mixture into 24 meal-size or 48 appetizer-size meatballs.
2) Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet set over medium heat. Cook meatballs, half at a time, about 6 minutes per batch, turning occasionally until brown and crusty on outside and no longer pink inside. Transfer meatballs to a dish; cover to keep warm. Drain fat from skillet and wipe it out.
3) For Apple Glaze: Combine apple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Pour into skillet in which meatballs were browned. Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Cook at full boil for about 2 minutes, or until syrupy bubbles form on the surface. Return meatballs to skillet to heat through and coat with sauce. Transfer glazed meatballs a serving dish. Top with green onions. Serve with rice or noodles. Yield: 12 appetizer or 6 dinner servings.









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